Socopoco.com

If you think that there is something wrong with Socopoco.com, then you are absolutely correct. We have received information from users saying that it is distributed through malicious software bundles and replaces the browser’s homepage address without your knowledge or approval. It replaces the homepage address with the intention of forcing you to use it and view the promotional links featured in the search results. It should also keep tabs on your browsing habits to personalize the ads according to your interests. That way the developers should make more money. Therefore, you ought to remove it from your browser. We stress that Socopoco.com will not improve your browsing experience in any shape or form because its purpose is to make money and its developers could not care less about your computer’s security.

We have received unconfirmed information that Socopoco.com is bundled with malicious software installers that were configured to inject it into your web browser secretly. Indeed, the installation wizard was purposefully set not to allow you to deselect the installation of this browser hijacker. As a result, it will enter your PC and replace your browser’s homepage address and, unless you have an antimalware program capable of blocking the installer from implementing this change, you cannot do anything about that. Therefore, we recommend that you steer clear of questionable websites that offer free software. Such websites often bundle them with malware. So we advise you to always download programs from their publisher websites.

It seems that this browser hijacker is compatible with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. We are not sure whether Microsoft Internet Explorer can be affected by it, but we have included a guide on how to replace its homepage address just in case. Browser hijackers are the most commonly detected type of malware because they are easy to set up and distribute. They generate a lot of revenue, provided that the developer releases enough of them. Therefore, we conclude that Socopoco.com is part of a web monetization scheme, but we want to point out that we have yet to find any clones of this particular hijacker. Nevertheless, we are positive that its developer has created more than one hijacker, because only one hijacker does not make much money.

Testing has shown that Socopoco.com redirects the entered search queries to Search2.ozipcompression.com which is also a shady and unreliable search engine. We have received information that Search2.ozipcompression.com is prone to showing promotional links and ads in its search results. While some legitimate search engines to this as well, this particular is different because we have received information claiming that this search engine and, thus, Socopoco.com show promoted links that come from unknown sources and, therefore, unreliable sources. Browser hijackers almost always feature ads because most of them were designed for advertising purposes.

Before we end this description, we would like to point out that this browser hijacker was designed to collect some information about you automatically. Our research has shown that Socopoco.com can obtain anonymous information using browser cookies. The information that it can collect includes your browsing history, search terms, IP address, ISP, approximate geographical location, browser type, operating system type and so on. Its developers use this information to customize and present users with region-specific ads.

In conclusion, Socopoco.com is one shady and downright malicious search engine because it distributed in a way that will replace your browser’s homepage secretly. It can present you with ad-supported search results and some of the ads can be of malicious nature. So we suggest that you remove this hijacker from your PC. You can use the instructions now how to replace the homepage address for your browser below.

How to replace your browser’s homepage address

Google Chrome

1. Open the browser.
2. Hold down Alt+F keys.
3. Select Settings.
4. Click Set pages and enter a new URL.
5. Click OK.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

1. Open the browser.
2. Hold down Alt+T keys.
3. In the dropdown menu, select Internet Options.
4. Enter a new address in the address line.
5. Click OK.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open the browser.
2. Hold down Alt+T keys.
3. In the dropdown menu, click Options and select General.
4. In the Home page line, type a new homepage address.
5. Exit the Options menu.